Race Highlights

Start Time

10:30 am

Pre-Registered Race Kit Pick Up

Location

There is free 20 minutes parking in back of Leon’s store. The location also serve as the Start/Finish Line area for Race Day right beside Steam Whistle Brewing.

Hours of Pick-Up

Thursday, March 12th - Individuals and teams from 12 noon to 6 pm

Friday, March 13th - individuals and teams from 12 noon to 6 pm

Saturday, March 14th - LAST DAY to pick-up kits for individuals and teams from 10 am to 1 pm

There will be absolutely no kit pick up on race day.

Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run/Walk

The annual Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run/Walk is a five kilometre run or walk (your choice!) through the heart of downtown Toronto. In 2015, the run/walk will take place on Sunday, March 15th beginning and ending at Steam Whistle Brewing, The Roundhouse, just south of the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre on Bremner Boulevard.

In 2015, we celebrate our 16th year anniversary. Become a part of our tradition by enjoying the first spring Sunday morning run followed by a wee bit of Irish merriment, a hot bowl of Irish chili, and an ice-cold Steam Whistle pilsner. Come decked out in your St. Patrick’s Day best or your running gear. Either way, you can’t help but have fun at this unique event.

Register early to avoid disappointment—we’ve sold out the last ten years!

Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run/Walk benefits Achilles Canada

The Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run/Walk sponsored by Steam Whistle Brewing and Goodlife, , benefits Achilles Canada—a non-profit organization that provides people with various disabilities an opportunity to receive the physical, psychological, and communal benefits of running. The club offers training and support by able-bodied members to its Achilles athletes of all ability levels.

Raise funds for your charity

While the monies raised through the event fund the activities of Achilles Canada, it also offers other charities across the city the opportunity to raise funds for their programs. If you form a team, your team pays to enter the race, but 100% of the monies raised through pledges goes to your organization. It’s as easy as that! Last year, more than $230,000 was raised by other charities who partnered with the event.

Who is Achilles Canada?

Achilles Canada is a member of an international non-profit organization, Achilles International, whose mission is to enable people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics, promote personal achievement, enhance self esteem, and lower barriers. Established in New York in 1983, Achilles currently has over 140 chapters worldwide.

Achilles athletes participate in weekly Achilles Run Clinics, where coaches help novice and experienced runners alike reach their own personal training goals.

Achilles volunteers provide encouragement and support to Achilles athletes during workouts and at races as a running guide. Depending on the needs of the Achilles athlete, the volunteer member essentially runs the race next to the athlete. For example, a runner who is blind may require the use of a tether or just to have the running guide to run side by side with him or her. On the other hand, wheelchair athletes require running guides or cyclists who can stay with them at differing speeds and is adaptable to the erratic pace of a wheelchair.

Able-bodied members are vital in making a run possible for the Achilles athlete. Not only do they provide training to the athletes, they provide both physical and emotional support to the athletes during a race.

Sharing the same goal of crossing the finish line at the end of the race, barriers between the disabled and the able-bodied are broken down by the sheer joy and sense of achievement that participants share together.

Our volunteers also help with fundraising, publicity, and other organizational activities.

The mission of Achilles Canada is to empower athletes, through running or walking, to take control of their health, to increase their self-confidence, to become more involved in the mainstream world, and to reach their full potential.